Baking with Less Sugar

June 2016

While on a recent trip to New York I came across Joanne Chang book BAKING WITH LESS SUGAR. It is exactly what I had been looking for. Both sides of our family have a history of diabetes. We have been eating healthier and leading a more active lifestyle. I had been cooking lower carbohydrate and less sugar meals for my family for awhile now. But, sometimes you crave a little something, not necessary sweet but with a great mouthfeel to end the meal or as a pick me up.

Faced with the shelves full of Cookbooks that I have to cull for the move, I was trigger shy of buying yet another book. Luckily, I was able to borrow the ebook version of it from our local library. Joanne Chang of Boston's Flour Bakery, is of the Sticky Buns Throwdown with Bobby Flay fame. She beat the Master Chef.

My first try was the Blueberry Bran Muffins. The recipe looked so promising I purposely went out to buy the wheat bran.  2 1/2 cups of blueberries provided moisture, sweetness and drama! You peel of the muffin wrapper and are greeted deep purple promise of deliciousness. It is buttery and delicious. Yum!

The next recipe I tried is called Better Than Flour Banana Bread. Flour Bakery has a famous Flour Banana Bread. I have not tried the original Banana Bread but love this Better Than Flour Banana Bread. I have made it twice already! It is lighter, moist and just yummy. Not too sweet. The recipe relies on really ripe and sweet banana for its sweetness. Eggs are beaten with sugar until light and fluffy, a little oil is added, sweet mashed banana, some creme fraiche, vanilla, nuts and flour. Nothing really unusual ingredients wise but lovely, lovely results. 

 It was prefect time to break out my William Sonoma mini brownie pan and mini loaf pans. Both were good but without a doubt those small morsels of banana "brownies" were a biggest hit. They disappeared really fast. 

I have my eyes on the Chocolate Mousse next. More than likely I would buy the BAKING WITH LESS SUGAR cookbook but perhaps the Kindle version as I got used to using the ebook version. Maybe a solution to my ever growing Cookbook collection- Baking with less paper Cookbooks.